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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor Releases Biennial Survey of Attitudes Toward Police
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
11/21/2007 12:20:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bob Scales, 206-684-8050
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor Releases Biennial Survey of Attitudes Toward Police
Progress made but work remains
SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today said the results from the latest biennial survey measuring Seattleites’ attitudes about police interactions and crime are generally positive, though there are still areas for improvement. This year’s survey of 1,205 Seattle residents, conducted in the spring, measured opinions on neighborhood quality, neighborhood crime, neighborhood policing, voluntary contact with police, involuntary contact with police, police effectiveness, police misconduct and respect for police.
In 2002 Nickels unveiled a strategy to increase police accountability and improve police-community relations. “This latest survey shows that we’re making steady progress in our efforts to improve police-community relations,” Nickels said. “We’re committed to making further improvements.”
“2006 saw the number of crimes in Seattle to be the lowest since 1976 and, when adjusted for population, we had a crime rate not seen since 1972,” Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said. “So far this year crime has continued its downward trend. Together, the Seattle Police Department and our community have made a significant difference in making Seattle safe. This is clearly shown in the results of this third biennial survey.”
Police accountability has been a major focus of Nickels. Every two years since 2003, the city has taken the community’s pulse to understand how it feels about safety, security and the police department. During that time, the city has installed digital video cameras in all patrol and traffic units, implemented a written warning system to document traffic stops, held community forums in each of the city’s precincts, improved police accountability, and invested in building more meaningful relationships between the police and the communities they serve. In March 2007, Nickels released the Neighborhood Policing Staffing Plan, which will put more officers on the streets at times they are needed the most, improve response times and allow officers more time for proactive police work. Nickels has also committed to adding 154 additional patrol officers by 2012. Sixty-nine of those have been added so far.
The results of the 2007 survey show significant progress when measured over four years. In 2007 Seattle residents responding to the survey rated the overall effectiveness of the Seattle police higher than they did in 2005 and 2003. Most respondents said they live in a good or excellent neighborhood and feel safe in their neighborhood at night.
While most residents are satisfied with their encounters with Seattle police officers, the survey also shows more can be done. For example, survey results show the greatest dissatisfaction is in providing follow-up information to crime victims.
“Our Neighborhood Policing Plan will directly address this issue,” Kerlikowske said. “The community has been asking for a more responsive level of policing and this plan will give officers additional time to be proactive in the neighborhoods they serve.”
Technological improvements the department is making starting in 2008 will help the neighborhood policing plan implementation. In addition to making it easier to dispatch officers and improving officer safety, a new computer-aided dispatch system will allow the department to better track and match workload to deployment. In-car information systems will be directly tied to a new records management system, reducing the time officers spend on paperwork and providing additional time for proactive policing.
The 2007 survey indicates people are more satisfied when they are stopped by the police than they were two or four years ago. Nearly one in five Seattle residents responding to the survey was stopped by the police in the last year. Most of those stopped by the police believed that the officer behaved appropriately during the stop and they were satisfied with the encounter. Kerlikowske attributes this increased satisfaction to improved officer training and oversight.
Although progress has been made in reducing concerns about police misconduct, about 26 percent of Seattle residents responding to the survey believe that some type of police misconduct is a major problem in the Seattle police department. Concerns about racial profiling and stopping people without good reason have lessened since the 2003 survey but there still exists a disproportionate concern in some communities of color. This survey will help the department focus its proactive community outreach efforts and monitor the impacts of those efforts on an ongoing basis, as well as fine-tune officer training.
The city may also implement additional accountability measures based on recommendations from the 11-member Police Accountability Review Panel appointed by Nickels in June 2007 to review Seattle’s police accountability system and recommend improvements. The panel is expected to deliver its report to the mayor in January 2008.
In addition to the biennial survey, in June 2006, November 2006 and April 2007, Seattle Police conducted brief surveys of people who had called 911 for assistance and had an officer dispatched to the call. The purpose of the surveys was to learn how community members view the department’s services and where improvements can be made. The data gathered from these surveys provides a baseline on community satisfaction and expectations prior to full implementation of the department’s Neighborhood Policing Plan.
Overall, more than 70 percent of respondents were very or extremely satisfied with their experience. Respondents felt the department understands and focuses on the public safety issues that concern them, confirming it is “in sync” with those it serves.
“Feelings of safety are easily shaken when one has been the victim of a crime,” Kerlikowske said. “I’m heartened that our response to such incidents helps to restore community members’ sense of security. The high ratings of those who have dealt with the department as the result of a call to 911 underscore that the future direction of neighborhood policing - putting officers where they’re needed when they’re needed - is the right course.”
Details on both the biennial and 911 customer satisfaction surveys can be found online at:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/Police_Relations.htm.
Visit the mayor’s Web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.
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Office of the Mayor
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